


Meddling

by pushupindrag



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Implied Relationships, Light Angst, M/M, Miscommunication
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-28
Updated: 2016-05-28
Packaged: 2018-07-10 18:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6998872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pushupindrag/pseuds/pushupindrag
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shitty misses his friends, so he goes back to Samwell for a week. Instead of the relaxing reminiscing he finds, he ends up meddling in one of the Tadpole's love lives.</p><p>Tango's having a little trouble with Whiskey, but he's happy to find that Shitty wants to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Chat With Shitty

**Author's Note:**

> I've started to move all of my writing onto here (or anything that's over 1k at least) so this was originally posted [here.](http://postpvnk.tumblr.com/post/144518284390/shitty-gets-a-few-free-days-so-he-goes-back-to)
> 
> Also come chat with me about Check Please! On my tumblr [here!](http://postpvnk.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Un'beted so if you find any mistakes please let me know :)

Shitty gets a few free days so he goes back to Samwell. He misses the guys, and sure he’s having a good time, but he misses his friends. So he makes the drive down, perfectly happy to just arrive unannounced.

And he gets there fine, completely ready for a nap after the long drive, except there’s a kid sitting on the porch steps with his head in his hands, and Shitty’s not one to just leave somebody sitting there when they look sad. 

“Hey kid, s’matter?” So he sits down next to him, waiting.

“Who are you?”

“Name’s Shitty-”

“Oh, Lardo was telling us about you.” The boy seems to perk up a little bit. But then he sniffs back what Shitty assumes is tears so he shrugs.

“Yeah that Shitty. You gonna tell me what’s the matter-?” He pauses, not knowing the kids name.

“Tango. I’m Tango. I’m one of the tadpoles.”

“Good to know. Now you gonna spill? Or do you just want me to go grab us some beers and pretend we’re manly men who don’t share our feelings?” 

He gets a weird look for that.

“Manly men?”

“They haven’t told you about all my rants have they? It doesn’t matter, either way. I’m here to listen if you need me.”

Going to get up is a little hard, it’s warm out and he’s so not used to being in a t-shirt around the Haus. It’s borderline uncomfortable. But the hand on his arm stops him, so he settles back down on the worn wooden steps.

“I just. I pissed someone off. I didn’t mean to. I never mean to. I just- ask a lot of questions.” And that bit of information rings a bell. But Shitty keeps quiet. “And maybe those questions got a bit personal, but I never asked them to intentionally be hurtful. My mouth just ran away with me because I was getting to know them more, and then of course I wanted to know more so I asked more, and they were okay. But then I overstepped.” He kicks his foot out, hanging his head. “Like I always do. Asked something a bit stupid and now he’s gone off in a huff.”

“He huh?”

“Oh uh yeah, Whiskey. The other tadpole. He’s really nice.” 

“Maybe, maybe he’s just had a rough night. If he’s normally okay with all the questions. I know I can get snappy when i’m tired.”

“Nah, he’s always tired. I just got a bit close, I think. You think I got a bit close?”

“Could be, I hate when I get asked personal questions from someone I barely know.-”

“But I do know him! He’s the only one that I talk to properly.” And suddenly Shitty gets it.

He gets that the guys has an awkward crush on his friend. 

“You sure it wasn’t just normal chirping?”

“No, he uh. He slammed his dorm door in my face after pushing me out.” His face drops again and he groans.

“I totally fucked this friendship up. I really totally fucked this friendship up. He’s never gonna talk to me again.”

“What did you even ask?” Shitty gently puts an arm around the boys shoulders, like he would with anyone else in the Haus, and he’s happy to find that Tango leans back into him.

“I asked about his school life. Whiskey loves his family, he’s constantly going on about them, or he talks about jobs he’s had or holidays he’s been on. But that’s the only thing he talks about from time before here you know. No mention of friends, or school or anything. So I asked, curious. Because he’ll talk to me about everything, the universe his feelings, his bitching or his day, but he won’t talk about that.”

He laughs, sad.

“So I asked, and got pushed out for my trouble. I’m such a fuck up. I should have left it alone. I asked three times, because he fobbed me off. I shouldn’t have.” 

“You’ll sort it out. It’s nothing a good old chat won’t fix.” Shitty rubs his hand up and down Tango’s arm. This is what he liked doing. Helping people, chatting through their problems and offering advice anywhere he could. He didn’t really get that at Harvard. Nobody trusted him like that at Harvard.

“Or maybe a good cry. Crying is always good.”

“I thought we were manly men who didn’t share our feelings.” And there’s a little bit of mischief in that tone amongst the sad, enough for Shitty to shove at him, almost throwing them both onto the ground.

“Was that a chirp Mr McPoutyFace?” 

“Possibly. Now you gonna get me that beer?” 

“Ah a question I can get behind, i’ll be back just let me dump my bags.”

Nobody else is in. So he dumps his bags by the door along with his shirt, grabbing two beers from the stocked fridge.

“Now, I have a plan forming. If you’re planning to apologise.” He hands over the beer, sitting down again.

“I’m ready to apologise.” Tango nods. “Why ar eyou shirtless?”

“Cause I think clothes are optional and i’m not abiding by the laws of society within my Haus.”

“Aren’t you a law student?”

“All the more reason to fuck with social norms. Now, is Whiskey one for grand gestures? Cause I think I have some left over fireworks lying around in the basement and-”

“No. Whiskey would hate that, he hates being made a fuss of.” Tango lies back on the porch, spreading out on the wood, sun in his face. He looks peaceful.

“Okay then, so what are you going to do?” And yeah okay, Shitty can see the approcahing figure, the one hunched over with his hands in his pockets, looking just as glum as Tango.

But who is Shitty to get in the way of possibly requited love.

“I’m gonna just say, hey, sorry I pushed you. I really fucked up, you can totally hit me you get a free pass. I promise not to bother you ever again.”

“And who’s gonna bother me if you don’t?” Shitty thinks Tango breaks something with how quickly he jerks up. So Shitty stands, clapping his hand onto Tango’s shoulder, passing his beer over to who he assumes is Whiskey.

“I’m gonna leave you two to it.” He doesn’t stick around, just shoulders his bags on the way up to Lardo’s room and climbs into her bed. 

He doesnt get to go to sleep straight away, because it turns out Lardo is indeed home and is having a nap, and when he wakes her up by trying to get into the bed next to her she hits him over the head, scowling about how he hadn’t called ahead. But then she’s curling up on his chest, like old times, with her hair tickling his chin and his hand on her back. 

It’s nice, and he falls asleep happy.


	2. The Aftermath of the Chat With Shitty.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens after Tango has his chat with Shitty over the course of Shitty's stay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was gonna post these as two seperate fics, but then decided to turn it into chapters instead to keep everything together.
> 
> Also come chat with me about Check Please! On my tumblr [here!](http://postpvnk.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Un'beted so if you find any mistakes please let me know :)

Tango doesn’t know what Shitty’s doing. But it involves a lot of hand gestures and winking and then he’s scurrying off to peek around the door into the kitchen.

Whiskey had forgiven Tango much too quickly after their fight. Sitting down with him while Tango tried not to stare too much. He had told Tango about how he had a terrible life at school, about a lingering anger problem he used to have that school had brought about that he doesnt want to think back on. He tells Tango about his quick temper, about how he doesn’t ever want to snap at anybody again. So he doesn’t, he channels everything into being calm and nice, and quiet. That memories of school would probably break that.Tango had of course, accepted the answer and that had been it. Just a shared look and shoulders knocking together.

He hadn’t asked why Whiskey had shifted over that few centimetres, hadn’t remarked on how close they were, and he had thanked his mouth for how quiet it was being for once.

Nothing’s said about his beating heart, that he’s sure Whiskey must be able to hear, as they drank their beers in silence, sky darkening around them.

Shitty was staying for a few days, and Tango was confused to find that Shitty had taken him under his wing. Not that he minded, but the guy wasn’t subtle. And that was Tango saying that.

After Whiskey had forgiven him, and they had gone back inside, hands cold from the evening chill, Shitty had taken him aside, practically dragging him up to the reading nook.

“So, are you gonna tell Whiskey about your crush or what?” Tango had been really glad he wasn’t drinking anything, because he would have spat it right back out.

“What?”

“Your crush. On Whiskey.”

“What- No- I- You can’t-” Whiskey was lost for words, choking on his tongue. Nobody else could know about his crush, that was between him and himself. Whiskey wouldn’t be his friend if he knew about how pathetic he was being. 

Whiskey was cool, collected and attractive as all hell. Tango… wasn’t. He was awkward, a little shy, and his personality rubbed people up the wrong way.

“You’re wrong.” He finally spits out, hunching over himself as he crosses his legs. 

“I don’t think I am Tango, I know the way you look at him. But it’s fine if you don’t want to say. I get that. I just think, you’de be happier if you did.” Shitty lies down, arm over the side of the roof.

“And what, you know something I don’t?”

“I know a lot of things, so probably. But what I do know is true love when I see it!”

Tango scowls at that. “It’s not true love.”

“It’s not the dragon slaying, princess saving, true loves kiss type no. But it’s the deep type. I can tell.”

“It’s just a stupid crush.” Tango’s turning red, he can feel it. “It’ll go away soon. It’s gotta.” 

“You want that, or are you hoping for that?” Shitty sits up, fixes him with a stare that’s friendly but eaves no room for him to wriggle from.

“Hoping. Hoping against all odds. He’s my friend, my best friend!” He rubs his hands over his face. “You think i’m being stupid? I am being stupid. He wouldn’t ever like me would he? I mean, he’s Whiskey! He’s gorgeous! And funny! And just brilliant.” He trails off.

“Hoping huh?” Shitty takes pity on him, voice going quiet. Tango appreciates the pat on his shoulder.

“Fuck.”

They didn’t talk about it much after that. Shitty had just stood when it had gotten too dark to see.

“I’m gonna help you Tango. Bro to bro.”

“Thanks?”

“You coming?” Tango know’s he should. Knows he has early classes, but he shakes his head.

“Nah i’m gonna stay here for a bit.”

“I’ll leave the window open then.”

Whiskey turns up after a while, hand reaching out to help Tango back inside so that they could go back to the dorms together. Tango’s not sure if Shitty sent him or not.

So from there, Shitty starts to ‘help’.

Everybody is somewhere in the Haus, while Tango and Whiskey had taken over the kitchen table again so they could do their work.

Shitty had taken him aside as Tango came in from class.

“Ask him out today. I’ll make sure you guys are alone.” And then had left, shouting something uncomprehending as he had ran off. Before returning when Whiskey and Tango were in the thick of their work. He had only seem to come in to make faces.

Which leaves him practically skipping out of the room when Tango scowls at him, leaving Whiskey and Tango in the kitchen, basically on their own. Shitty making weird faces and hand gestures from the doorway. Tango was really confused. Which, yeah okay wasn’t exactly a change.

“So, uh Whiskey.” Maybe he’s looking at his coffee cup a little intently, not concentrating on his work at all. “You want to catch a movie in a bit? I’ve nearly finished.” He almost bites his tongue off before he’s blurting out the question.

“Sure, i’ll go grab Nursey and Dex, I think they wanted to go and see something. Maybe bring Shitty along? He seems to have taken a shining.” He’s smiling, the connotations of the question going straight over his head as he gets up, going to find the others.

Tango groans and hits his head off the table.

“See. He only see’s me as a friend!” Tango whispers as Shitty slides in.

“I’ll grab my coat.”

The movie’s good. He shared a popcorn with Whiskey, to ‘save money’. And Dex chirps him for being broke.

Lardo tags along and shares a withering look with him every time Shitty does something stupid. Like pulling her into his lap so Whiskey and Tango can definitely sit together when it looks like Lardo might get stuck in the middle of them.

“You’re a jerk.” She’s muttering, but she settles quickly, leaving Tango to spread across the two seats, kicking his legs into Whiskey’s lap.

Whiskey just moves his stuff around to accommodate. Because this was normal.

They were just friends.

This happened three more times that week.

“Hey you wanna go for coffee?” 

“Sure let me grab Bitty.”

“You wanna go for picnic?”

“Sure, Ransom and Holster need the break.” 

“You want to go for a walk?”

“Alright, let me go grab the frogs.”

It was maddening. Tango spent a lot of time on the roof with Shitty.

“You have to tell him bro. You’re suffering.” Every time Tango had tried, Shitty had been in the background with a big thumbs up and a smile.

Shitty was a cool guy.

“He keeps ignoring my advances. Face it, I don’t have a chance.”

“You sound like you’re just asking a bro out to brunch, of course he keeps ignoring them!”

“Bro brunch?” Tango giggles “Brunch bro? Bro brunch brunch bro? Wanna go borrow brunch bro?” He falls about laughing at himself, Shitty eventually joining in. Snorting.

“I was wondering where you were. We’ve gotta get back to the dorms.” Whiskey pokes his head through the window, little frown between his eyebrows that Tango wants to get rid of.

“Alright, later Shits.” Tango punches Shitty’s arm as he clambers back into the Haus, earning a smack on the ass for his trouble. 

He shouts, laughing, swatting behind him unsuccessfully until he’s got a face full of Whiskey.

“Come on man, you said you wanted to go back?”

“If you’re not too busy with Shitty.” Whiskey snipes, turning around and leading them both out of the Haus. Barely giving Tango time to wave goodbye to everybody.

“What do you mean man?” Tango was confused. Which okay, wasn’t really unusual, but he was never used to Whiskey being the one to confuse him.

Whiskey quickens his pace. “Nothing it’s fine. Forget it.”

“No really, what’s the matter Whisk?”

He stops them both, right in the middle of the pavement with a hand on Whiskey’s arm.

“Tell me.”

Tango draws back when Whiskey shakes him off. Hurt.

“It’s none of your damn business.”

“Fine, whatever. Don’t tell me. You’re best friend. It’s completely fine!” Tango manages to spit, a few moments away from crying, probably.

“Oh no, i’m no longer any sorts of close to you am I? You have Shitty!” 

And there it was. Whiskey looks embarrassed, to say the least. His gaze snapping down to his feet.

“You’re jealous?” Tango’s dumbfounded. “You’re jealous of Shitty?”

“You just spend all of your fucking time with him!” Whiskey explodes, throwing his arms up as he shouts. “He’s always there! You’re always on the fucking roof with him! He slapped your ass!”

“He’s only always there because you keep inviting him and everyone else on our fucking dates!” 

And oh Tango regrets saying that as soon as he says it.

It’s Whiskeys turn to look confused, and Tango wants to hide.

“Dates?”

“Yeah I uh,” Swallowing, because there’s no point in lying, Tango starts to tell him. “I keep trying to ask you out on dates, and then you invite people every time. So I thought I may as well bring Shitty along to commiserate with me?”

“You told Shitty?”

“He’s been trying to help me! Are you not gonna say anything else about that sentence?”

Whiskey looks embarrassed again, but he’s smiling. Just a little bit.

“You keep trying to ask me out on dates?”

“Well yeah, but we can forget all of this ever happened if you really want to, I don’t mind at all honestly.”

He shuts up when Whiskey puts his hands on either of his cheeks. Pulling his face a little so they can look each other in the eye.

“I’m a fucking idiot, of course I want to go on dates with you!” Whiskey’s hands are soft, and he’s unconsciously rubbing his thumbs over Tango’s cheekbones.

“Really? You really would want to go on dates with me?”

“And here I was thinking you never asked stupid questions.” Whiskey smiles, and then he’s leaning in.

The kiss is sweet, short, and Tango’s grateful because he isn’t sure he’d be able to deal with anymore at that point. But of course, Whiskey gets it.

“I can’t believe you were jealous of Shitty!” Tango’s laughing, not pulling away from Whiskey’s hands.

“He touched your ass man! Of course I was getting the wrong idea!”

“Shitty touches everyone’s ass. Now come on, I wanna go to bed.”

They don’t do anything else, just walk back to their dorms in relative silence, bumping their shoulders against one another’s.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning?” Whiskey asks, bouncing a little on his toes.

“Of course?” They met up every morning, before going to get breakfast.

“Okay then, i’ll just uh-” Looking a bit lost for a second, Whiskey seems to resolve himself before he’s leaning in for another kiss. 

Shitty shouts loudly when he sees them together the next day, whooping and running around the Haus, pantless and laughing.

“So my meddling worked huh?” He asks Tango, catching him on the way to the kitchen.

“Yeah it did, thanks Shitty.” And Tango initiates the hug this time, holding on a little too tightly to Shitty.

Shitty doesn’t say anything, just ruffles his hair and laughs.

“Any time kid, now go back to your boy.”

“Oh shut up.”


End file.
